Mephedrone is being linked to the deaths of two teenagers in Scunthorpe on Tuesday. According to one Oxbridge student, the drug is more common than people realise:

Mephedrone is God's gift for a uni student with an overdraft on a night out. It has been around since 2009, but usage exploded this year. It's legal, easily available and you can get a gram for around £15. There are even online "garden centres" that will happily deliver mephedrone to your doorstep, 24 hours a day.

Most people get an immediate rush of energy and feel intensely loved-up – you always end up wanting more of it. The come-down is the worst bit. A friend who did two or three grams one night turned up at my room. His eyes were rolling back in his head, he had no sensation in his hands and feet, and he said it felt like his heart was going to explode. Other people I know experience an inexplicable sense of depression and shame the day after. "It was like being really drunk and doing something you regret," one says, "except with meph I could be looking at a wall all night and still feel guilty the next day."